TRP: Hansel, Goro, and Roddy (Confrontation)
Muse: at 9:23 PM The Castle That Is Not Named, day 147. Roddy has been following Goro around for a while, alternating between badly pretending not to and not even trying to pretend. Enough was enough. Roddy'd been freaking out off on the sidelines long enough. Time to turtle up and do something about it. He sped up slightly, attempting to catch up to Goro. Time to give him a piece of Roddy's mind, and tell him to back off from Hansel. ...Or on second thought. Roddy abruptly veered off to the side, headed for a hallway- nope, that was an alcove. Couldn't go down here. So instead he leaned into it, whistling a little tune. Just minding his own business here. Nothing to see. Just Roddy the bard not following his teammate around like some sort of weirdo. Lina: at 9:28 PM God. The whistling. That was too much. Roddy was fucking hilarious, in an annoying way. But sooner or later Goro was going to feel like doing something without being tailed, so he supposed he'd better do something about this now, while Roddy wasn't even trying to hide himself. Goro stopped, turned around, and walked to the alcove Roddy had settled in. He crossed his arms and appraised him. "Can I help you with something, Roddy?" Muse: at 9:34 PM The whistling ended with an abrupt screech. This is what he got for not paying attention, sneaky cleric guy being sneaky. Roddy cleared his throat, adjusted his hat, glared down at Goro, and utterly failed to say anything. Right. Take two. He couldn't summon up the indignation he'd wanted. He'd wanted to be angry, but instead all he could manage was a haze of worry. "Wanted to talk to you," he muttered, crossing his arms and glancing it off to the side. Lina: at 9:35 PM "Ah. Fucking happy to, Roddy. You know you could save yourself a lot of trouble and just ask?" Muse: at 9:37 PM Rude. Roddy cut back to glaring at Goro, leaning forwards and poking his chest. "Okay fine then. Would you please stop messing around with my dad?" Lina: at 9:40 PM Goro rolled his eyes up to look at the ceiling, and nodded slowly. "Okay. Sure." Then he turned and continued on his way. Muse: at 9:41 PM Huh. That was easy- hey wait. Roddy chased after Goro, circling around and planting himself right in the cleric's path. "Are you lying?" he asked, bristling. "You don't just get to- lie and walk off!" Lina: at 9:42 PM "Why not?" Muse: at 9:42 PM "Because!" Lina: at 9:45 PM "Lying and walking off is part of my job, Roddy." Goro adopted a serene expression and spoke to an invisible somebody at his side. "'Yes, my son, of course you have the blessing of Helm's eternal love and protection.'" He snorted and laughed at his own joke, then paused to wonder whether Roddy knew Helm was dead. Eh. Problem for another time. "Now uh, do you mind? I got places to be." He pointed up the corridor behind Roddy. Muse: at 9:50 PM "Not till I'm done talking to you!" Roddy snapped. Why did he have to be so- so frustrating?? "I'm not some- worshipper who wants to hear everything's okay- and I wouldn't trust you if you did say that- I'm your teammate-" (as annoying as that was) "-and I. Want. Answers!" He punctuated that by jabbing his 'finger' into Goro's chest with each word, glaring down at him. Lina: at 9:53 PM "Okay--just--fff--" Goro snatched Roddy's hand and shoved it away from him. "Stop doing that, and I'll talk to you. Can you define 'messing around,' for a start?" Muse: at 9:53 PM "The kissing thing!" Lina: at 9:57 PM "So you're asking me to stop kissing Hansel. Um, let me think." Goro put a finger to his chin and gazed into space for a moment. "No." He scooted to the side and ducked, like he was going to try and squeeze past Roddy. Muse: at 9:58 PM "Hey- wait a minute!" Roddy reached out, grabbing for Goro's arm and pulling him to a stop. "Breaking Sugar's heart wasn't enough, you gotta go after Hansel too? What is wrong with you?" Lina: at 10:01 PM "Oh, jeez." Goro used his free hand to rub his face. "Listen, Roddy, I should've told you before now. This is the honest to god truth, alright? No bullshit. I didn't break Sugar's heart. We had a thing going but we were trying to keep it secret, so we faked that whole thing with me letting her down. Nah, me and Nixie are good. If you don't believe me, go ask her." He tugged against Roddy's hold on his arm. "I'm not gonna fucking break Hansel's heart, alright? God, you and Jonn both." Muse: at 10:08 PM "Yeah well I am gonna ask her! And you're coming with!" Where was Sugar. Ship, ship probably. Roddy took off, keeping a tight grip on Goro's arm. Freakin' Goro. So full of lies. And other such muttered comments all the way to the ship. Lina: at 10:13 PM Goro allowed himself to be dragged along. Honestly, it was a relatively small sacrifice to fix this problem, hopefully for good. Plus he'd get to see Nixie. Roddy dragged Goro into the boathouse, and Goro politely stood where Roddy positioned him and did not run off as Roddy turned the crank, muttering the whole time. Muse: at 10:22 PM The crank to the thingamabob seemed to take forever. But finally it was lowered and they were able to make their way to the ship. With a very calm and pliant cleric in tow. Weirdly calm. Suspiciously calm. Roddy shot Goro a narrowed eyed look as they stopped in front of Sugar's door. Was he planning something? Roddy'd have to keep an eye out. He was still glaring as he reached up to knock on Sugar's door. Coyote: at 10:25 PM Sugar sat quietly in her room, focusing on her power. She imagined it as a cool blue and white light inside her: steady, and calm. She imagined it filling her body, every inch, but staying inside her skin. It was a daily task she was used to every day. Mishka had taught her: This is the way you stay in control. A thumping knock caught her attention. Huh. That sounded like the way Roddy knocked. She unfolded from her position on the floor, then padded barefoot to the door and opened it. Roddy stood there, grasping Goro by the arm and scowling. Goro looked like a shifty-eyed raccoon caught in the trash. That didn't mean anything, though. He always looked like that. "Um?" Nixie said. "Hello." Muse: at 10:27 PM "Goro said he was lying about the thing when we all got drunk and that you actually are together and he didn't break your heart," Roddy rattled off, shoving Goro in front of her. "Also if he's lying this time I will punch him for you." Lina: at 10:28 PM Goro barely caught his balance and managed to avoid careening into Nixie. He smiled at her sheepishly. "Hi. Did I break your heart?" Coyote: at 10:35 PM Nixie considered this. Her eyes shifted between them. Goro said he was lying. Yes. Alright. That meant it was okay, then. "Goro didn't break my heart," Nixie said in her pleasant, straightforward fashion. "I'm sorry, Roddy. I didn't mean to trick you. We were trying to be secret. He's very sweet and I love him." Muse: at 10:38 PM Wait what. "Wait, what?" Something was not lining up here. "So- wait- you guys really are- together? And you're happy about that?" He didn't look at Goro, this time, barely paying attention to the cleric as he studied Sugar. Coyote: at 10:42 PM "Um," Nixie said. "I, don't know? Actually. I'm happy about it, yes." Of course she was. She could relax around Goro. It felt like he had her back. It felt like she could protect him, and he could protect her. "We haven't really talked about it, though," Sugar said doubtfully. More blinking. "I think Goro might belong to Hansel or something. I saw Hansel leaving his room yesterday morning." Still looking at Roddy with wide blue eyes. "I suppose I hadn't really thought about it." Nixie's eyes shifted over to Goro. Lina: at 10:43 PM Goro grimaced and made a slashing motion in front of his neck. Coyote: at 10:51 PM Nixie's eyes widened another fraction, deeply alarmed. "Are you okay?" Where Sugar was from, her mom used that gesture a lot. It usually mean, like, killing people. Usually, like, when her mom captured people on her ship, she made that gesture to tell her tiefling crew to cut their throats. Was someone going to cut Goro's throat? Was Goro a captive? Was Goro in danger? Was Roddy the danger? What in the Nine Hells. "Is something wrong with your throat?" she said. "Do you need me to go get Hansel? You like Hansel, right?" She dithered. She could push past Roddy out the door-- Muse: at 10:59 PM "OKAY I think that is enough about Hansel right now," Roddy said loudly. "Thank you for your insight Sugar. It was. Um. Helpful." He reached over and patted her on the head, and then dragged Goro out on the deck. And then on further thought, kept dragging him until they were off the ship and out of earshot of a certain pink teifling. "Really? Already?" he asked, letting to start pacing up and down. "You know the kissing part was bad enough but you're already doing stuff. Apparently Sugar likes you! For some reason! Why couldn't you just stick with her??" Lina: at 11:03 PM "For some reason," Goro agreed, wincing and rubbing the spot on his arm where Roddy's fingers had dug in. "Well Sugar left, y'see. And I thought she wanted nothing to do with me anymore. So I figured there was no harm in--" He almost said a little Hansel on the side, but thought the better of it. "No harm in... any of it, really. No one's getting hurt." Except himself, probably. But that was his issue to worry about. December 11, 2018 Muse: at 9:38 AM "For now maybe! But what about later!" Roddy continued pacing, gesturing wildly. "Your gonna break their hearts and it's gonna be a mess and I like them!" He stopped and turned to glare at Goro. "Why can't you just go- hook up with someone I don't care about. Like that weird elf guy! You're both creepy you should get along." Lina: at 2:42 PM "Gwydion? Fuck's sake, Roddy, I don't--you think I'm just running around, looking for anyone who catches my eye to hook up with? I don't give a shit about Gwydion." There was more to the explanation than that, but the thought of having to put it into words made him nervous. He could barely confess to Hansel how he felt, let alone Roddy. "I'm not going to break their hearts. I don't want to hurt them. Hey, why do you fucking hate me so much, anyway?" Oh, dear, that was not a fair question. Not fair at all. Goro could write the book on reasons to hate Goro. Muse: at 3:58 PM "You broke Sugar's-! Well," Roddy had to stop a second there. They had just been over that bit. "I don't really trust you," he said finally, crossing his arms. "You're here now, and you help out, but where's the line? Might be killing people for us now, but when is it that we find its one of us with the knife in our ribs, huh?" Roddy punctuated this with a jab at Goro's chest again. Lina: at 6:00 PM Goro shoved Roddy's hand away again. "Fucking never, because I don't betray my gang. Quickest route to hell, if you ask me. That and snitching." He said the last word with his teeth bared, standing on his toes so he could get up in Roddy's face. Muse: at 6:08 PM "And what's that supposed to mean?!" Roddy wasn't about to back down. Goro was getting in his face, well, Roddy could get in his face too. "I thought we were over this one already!" Lina: at 7:09 PM "You should know what it fucking means, you're the fucking snitch. But this isn't about you, is it? It's about me, and how I'm apparently gonna stab one of you in the back one of these days. Prove it, Roddy. Fucking prove it. You want Ripley to Zone of Truth us? Then you can listen to me say, yet again, that I don't shit where I eat and I don't betray my gang, only maybe this time it'll sink into that thick shell of yours." Goro reached an arm around and knocked his knuckles against Roddy's shell. Then he skipped back a couple steps, putting distance between them. Muse: at 9:21 PM Roddy took a half step after him, but no more. A little distance probably was a good thing right about now. "Wouldn't prove anything. You'd find some way to weasel around and still lie. Forget to mention what happens when we stop being gang or- or something!" Lina: at 9:28 PM "So there's no way I can fucking win with you, is what you're saying. Nothing I can do that'll make you trust me. Fucking--fine. Fine. See if I give a shit. You're the one with the problem, here. So how about you just drop this and stay out of my fucking hair? Pretend I don't exist. I'll walk real quietly around the castle so you don't notice me." He hunched up his shoulders and walked backward on tiptoe. Muse: at 9:39 PM "Hey! You get back here!" Roddy strode forwards, grabbing for Goro's robes. "You know I'd love to forget about you! I'd love to have you be some vague person who's just there! But I can't! You are having sex with my dad and I want you to cut it out!" Lina: at 9:43 PM Goro snorted and started laughing. He fell limp against Roddy's hold on his robes, stamping his foot and laughing until tears came out of his eyes. Muse: at 9:46 PM "What are you laughing at?" This wasn't right. Something had gone sideways and Roddy didn't know what. "HEY!" He shoved Goro against the cave wall- hard. "Would you just- stop that and tell me what's so funny?!" Lina: at 9:48 PM Goro kept laughing, even with the wind half knocked out of him. "It's just--" It took him a few tries to get enough air to speak. "Ah, fuck. You--" Another spurt of laughter. "You should hear yourself right now, kid. Don't have sex with my daaaad!" He busted out laughing again. Muse: at 9:55 PM What. Was he- he was making fun of Roddy. "Shut up!" Roddy slammed Goro against the wall again- (remembered: don't-hit-don't-hit-hands-to-yourself)- ignored instincts to back off and forget it. This was important. "It's not just some- some dumb kid thing! You're gonna do something. Something bad. And I want you to back off before it gets too much worse!" Lina: at 9:59 PM With the second slam, Goro went tense again, his teeth jarring together. "Alright, that's enough, you little shit. Get your fucking hands off me." He kicked his legs and swatted at Roddy's face. Muse: at 10:01 PM Roddy flinched back a little, the weight pinning Goro to the wall slackening, but his grip remained tight. "You cut that out! All of it! I'm trying to talk to you here and I don't appreciate getting smacked in the face!" Lina: at 10:07 PM Goro sucked in a breath and his whole face turned red as he screamed, "Fucking--let me--go!" Muse: at 10:09 PM "Not till you take this seriously!" Lina: at 10:22 PM Goro shoved his hand into Roddy's face--no time for finesse here--and spoke a Command. "Drop." Immediately Roddy's grip on him loosened. He squirmed out from between Roddy and the cave wall and bolted for the passage to the dungeon. Muse: at 10:29 PM "Wh- hey!" Roddy took off after the fleeing cleric, grabbing for him again. Missing. "You don't just get to magic me and run off!!" he yelled after Goro. Not that Goro listened. They made it to the foot of the stairs in the castle before Roddy caught up to him again, dragging him close and lifting him up. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Stop kicking already. I was trying to have a conversation!" Lina: at 10:29 PM "Then get your fucking hands off me!" Muse: at 10:30 PM "Are you gonna run off again??" Lina: at 10:31 PM "I don't fucking care, I'll do whatever you fucking want, just put me down!" Muse: at 10:34 PM Roddy hesitated a beat longer, but he set Goro down. Let go, but was ready to grab for him again if he looked like he'd go back to running. Lina: at 10:35 PM Goro staggered away and leaned one hand against the wall, scowling darkly at Roddy. "What the fuck do you want me to say, huh? What am I supposed to do?" Muse: at 10:39 PM "I told you. Leave my dad alone." Roddy crossed his arms, glaring at Goro. Least he'd stopped running this time. "Then we can go around and just ignore each other and everything will be just fine." Lina: at 10:40 PM Goro stared at Roddy for a while, breathing heavy. "Alright," he said finally. He nodded. "I'll leave him alone." Then he turned to head up the stairs. Muse: at 10:52 PM Okay. That was- okay. That was easier than expected. ...Hang on, maybe too easy. "Hold on!" he called, chasing after him. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Lina: at 10:54 PM Goro groaned and wheeled around to face him. "You fucking don't, alright? That's what I'm fucking saying! I can't win with you! I agree to give you what you want and you still won't leave me the fuck alone!" Izzy: at 11:14 PM A door banged shut in the dining room, and a beat later Hansel strolled up, intending to head up the stairs, but freezing when he saw them. He looked between them, eyes narrowed, with no idea what the fuck was going on. Muse: at 11:20 PM Oh no. For once, the sight of Hansel was filling Roddy's stomach with dread. "Hey Hansel! Dad! Dadsel!" Right, like that wouldn't arouse suspicion. "Everything's fine here! We're just talking! You can just um. Move along. We're fine. Totally fine." ...Not gonna ask Goro to back him up on that though. No siree. Just smile brightly and hope Hansel bought it. Lina: at 11:23 PM Goro crossed his arms tight, glowered at the both of them, then turned and started up the stairs. Izzy: at 11:25 PM "Hey," Hansel barked. "Get back here. The fuck is going on?" Roddy was being shifty as fuck and clearly lying. They both looked upset, but maybe Goro would have a more plausible explanation. Muse: at 11:27 PM "Nothing! Nothing's going on!" Goro was leaving at least- thank Helm- but Hansel still looked suspicious. Roddy could catch up with Goro later for now he had to divert Hansel's attention. "Hey so what were you doing?" he asked, bounding down the stairs and going for a hug. "Was there food? I'm kinda hungry let's go get food." Izzy: at 11:33 PM Hansel stepped away from the hug. "Roddy, don't fucking lie to me." He glanced up the stairs. He didn't want to walk away from the kid -- this was something they needed to talk about -- but he also needed to keep both of these idiots in the room to figure out what the fuck had happened. Goddammit. He brushed past Roddy and took the stairs two at a time to catch up to Goro, slipping past him and blocking his path but not touching him. "Hey," he said, quietly this time. "What's going on?" Lina: at 11:37 PM Goro stopped walking but kept his gaze low. He calculated the quickest way to get out of this. Make Hansel ignore him. "Dunno. You should go check on your kid. He got a little roughed up." Muse: at 11:44 PM ...And there went Hansel, brushing by. Going to check on Goro. Roddy crossed his arms, staring at the ground. Trying to ignore the lump in his throat. Already too late it looked like. Already got attached. This wasn't good. But Hansel hadn't seemed to care, just brushed on by. Maybe he should let Goro break his heart. That was a terrible thought. Maybe he should just- go. Write a bit. Get all this- stuff out before he said any of it. Roddy shot a glance up at the two, and started edging for the door. Maybe Hansel wouldn't notice. Izzy: at 11:56 PM Out of the corner of his eye, Hansel saw Roddy moving away. And Goro was being fucking obstinate. Nope. He was not dealing with this shit today. "All right, you brought this on your damn self, jackass," he said, and hefted Goro up and over his shoulder. "Coulda just fuckin' talked to me, but no," he went on, heading back down the stairs, and pointed to Roddy. "And you coulda fuckin' told me the truth. Makin' me do shit the hard way. The fuck's wrong with you two today?" He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and grabbed Roddy's shell, intending to drag him into the dining room to make them both sit the fuck down and explain this shit to him, but fully aware that he couldn't drag the kid around as easily as he could Goro. Just gave him an expectant, firm look and a small tug. December 12, 2018 Lina: at 12:00 AM Oh, that was fucking fine. He could drag Goro around all he wanted, but he couldn't make him talk. Muse: at 12:04 AM Hansel was trying to drag him off. Roddy squirmed a little, looking off to the side and considering bolting. Hansel couldn't stop him- at least not with Goro thrown over one shoulder. But he'd probably insist on having the conversation later. After Goro got his side in first. Better get his side in before Hansel got all- biased or something. So he went along, not making eye contact, but letting Hansel guide him into the dining room. Trying to formulate what to say- how exactly do you explain to your dad 'I told this guy to stop sleeping with you and then we yelled and he ran off'? Izzy: at 12:09 AM Hansel sat Roddy down in one of the dining room chairs (a bit relieved the kid had just gone along with it), then dropped a limp, sullen Goro off his shoulder and into a second one, keeping a hand on his shoulder since he seemed like the one who might bolt. But he addressed Roddy first, keeping his voice calm and even. "Kid, I'm not mad at you, but why did you lie to me? Clearly something's fuckin' going on here. I wanna fix it. So explain the problem to me, all right?" Muse: at 12:13 AM Roddy kept shifting, grabbing the salt shaker off the table and fiddling with it. Staring at his hands instead of at Hansel. "Don't like the thing with you and Goro," he mumbled. "Tried talking to him about it. Didn't go well." There were so many other things he should be saying. He should be telling Hansel not to trust him. Should be saying he couldn't know what to expect. But he couldn't find the will to. Izzy: at 12:21 AM Hansel frowned in concern. Shit. He'd done that thing again where he didn't realize something was going to fuck a kid up. He knew it'd been fucking awkward, Roddy walking up on him and Goro, but he hadn't realized this was going to happen. "I ... Fuck, Roddy, I mean -- I'm sorry you don't like it, but --." What was a kinder way to say it's not really any of your goddamn business? "Listen, Goro makes me really fucking happy." Subtly, he squeezed Goro's shoulder. "Why do you not like it?" Lina: at 12:24 AM Goro jerked his shoulder, attempting to wrench himself free of Hansel's hand. This was not the fucking time for it. Wasn't going to help. Muse: at 12:29 AM Roddy was silent a moment, staring at the salt shaker. Then he glanced over at Goro, scowly and unhappy like usual. "I don't trust him," he said, with surprising venom. "He's just gonna break your heart and it's not gonna go well and you should just- you should stop." Lina: at 12:30 AM "He's right. We should." Goro grabbed the table for leverage and tried again to free himself from Hansel's hand. Izzy: at 12:40 AM "No. Fuck that." Hansel's grip tightening and response were both reflexive. Fuck. Then he thought again. Nothing had -- happened, as far as he knew. He still had the fucking note Goro had left him tucked away in his bag. He looked back to Roddy. The hell had this talking entailed? "Roddy, look, you're -- really fucking young. People's hearts get broken and shit goes wrong. It happens. It's life. It's not a reason to stop doing things. And Goro, what the fuck?" He felt like he was about to be carrying on two very different conversations at once, but if that was what he had to do, fine. "Are you all right? Did I -- do something?" Lina: at 1:02 AM Goro wasn't sure he'd ever really understood the phrase heart-wrenching until then. He felt like someone stuck a fish hook in his chest and yanked. "No," Goro said, his tone probably giving away far more of his state of mind than he wanted it to. "No, you didn't... do anything." And therein lay the stupid irony of it all; maybe Goro was a piece of shit and Hansel would be better off without him, but if Goro started avoiding Hansel then he'd be hurting him. Great fucking plan he had there. It happens. It's life. It's not a reason to stop doing things. Yeah, and hadn't Goro been trying to tell himself as much, lately. But it wasn't sinking in. Wasn't sticking. He'd been really fucking happy for about a day and then he'd started to feel it slipping out of his grasp again. But Hansel's grasp on him wasn't letting up any. So he stopped trying to get away, for the time being. Muse: at 9:35 AM "See! He agrees with me!" Roddy crowed, pointing at Goro. Hey, wait. "Why are you agreeing with me?" he asked, squinting suspiciously. There had to be an angle here. Why would Goro just- give up, like this? "And I'm not that young," he muttered. Dragonborn were adults at fifteen. And- weren't half-orcs too for that matter? Yeah. He could be an adult. Hansel didn't know otherwise. Izzy: at 10:05 AM Then what the fuck? Hansel wanted to ask Goro, but he'd stopped trying to get away, so Hansel dropped it for now. He was sulking or some shit. Hansel might just need to talk to him later -- away from Roddy. The thing was he couldn't really tell Roddy off for insisting he wasn't that young. He was -- he was younger than Hansel, anyway, but Hansel was younger than Mishka and that didn't mean anything. He'd found out some shit about tortles at the Sanctuary's library -- he knew Roddy was old enough to be an adult, he just ... wasn't. Hansel didn't know how to parent the kid and still acknowledge that he'd grown up a lot, and respect the fact that he could make his own decisions. Jonn had never really gotten to that point -- he still needed Hansel to tell him what to do -- and Luci had never really needed him at all. Shit. "Okay," he said slowly. "Here's what we're gonna do. You don't have to like Goro, all right? You can decide that you don't trust him, or whatever, yeah, you're an adult. But I am too. And I decided that I do like him, and I do trust him." He glanced Goro's way, thinking about how he'd twisted in Hansel's grip before. "So you gotta find a way to deal with that, kid, and it doesn't involve trying to fuck with Goro, because I don't fuckin' tolerate that any more than I would someone fucking with you." Something clicked. "You been talking to Jonn?" Muse: at 10:17 AM Roddy kept fidgeting. Occasionally glancing up to briefly meet Hansel's eyes before looking down again. He'd gone and- done something again. Reminded him of when Hansel'd scolded him about stealing Mormiir's boots and trying to hit him with the candlestick. 'Cept worse because now Hansel was Dad, not just- a concerned teammate. Felt like there was a big- weight inside. Drowning all that indignation he'd gotten worked up. "No," he said quickly in response to Hansel's question. Studying the wall. "...Wrote a couple notes though," he admitted, slouching in his chair and hunching his shoulders. "Panicked. A little. Wanted- advice and-" Roddy glanced over at Goro and then up at Hansel. "...Sorry?" Lina: at 11:44 AM "Fucking snitch, like I said," Goro hissed at him. "Learn to keep your damn mouth shut." Izzy: at 1:40 PM "Goro," Hansel said reproachfully, giving him a look, but dropped it. Not helping. He sighed. Yeah. The meddling thing was Jonn all over. The little shit had already decided Hansel couldn't make his own choices, and now he was getting in Roddy's head about it. Should've put his foot down about them hanging out together, but Jonn had seemed so fucking normal and happy about it, and Roddy had clearly needed friends, so -- fuck. "Listen, Roddy, look, I -- goddammit." He rubbed at his face with the hand that wasn't still on Goro's shoulder, then dropped it on Roddy's. "Kid, I'm sorry I freaked you out, and I should've talked to you and made sure you were all right. Yeah? But fuck, I mean -- I fuckin' love Jonn to death but does that little motherfucker really seem like someone who makes good life choices?" he prodded. "If you don't feel like you can talk to me, ask -- fuckin', I don't know -- Ripley for advice. Or Goro." He gestured to Goro briefly and rested his hand back on his shoulder. "Or Nixie. Shit, write to Luci, I don't know, kid, pretty much fuckin' anyone but Jonn, all right?" Muse: at 2:55 PM Ask Goro for advice? Not likely. Roddy shot him a narrow-eyed glare briefly- he was back on that snitch thing too- but Hansel'd scold him more if he kept that up so Roddy didn't keep it up. Looked at Hansel instead, twisting his words around and trying to make sense of it. "I like Jonn," he said finally. "I thought- he was family and all." Apparently he was just- family that Roddy shouldn't go to for advice. Still didn't entirely make sense though. "What's so bad about Jonn though? It's not like other people," and he went back to giving Goro a look, "haven't done really dumb things too." Lina: at 3:05 PM "Speak for yourself, you little shit." Izzy: at 5:27 PM "Goro," Hansel repeated. "You're not fuckin' helping. Listen, we've all done really dumb shit. Honestly, no one should fucking ask any of us for any advice about any goddamn thing." He got the impression he was losing an argument with himself, here. For fucksake, this was frustrating. "Jonn's family, but -- Eldath, he means well but he constantly fucks it up, okay?" Hansel sighed again and closed his eyes for a second. "And it's probably getting worse now because I can't -- fucking help him, but -- all right, think of it this way," he tried. "Jonn's older than you, but just act like he's younger, okay? He's kinda fuckin' dumb and immature and he has horrible fucking ideas. So don't ... do his ideas. Doesn't mean you can't like him, just, uh -- fuckin' -- don't do what he says." Muse: at 8:41 PM This made some sense. Some. And as much as Roddy didn't want to admit it, he really wouldn't ask himself for advice either. ...How'd they know Jonn was older anyway? Roddy could be older. He sure was bigger. It did occur to him that saying that aloud probably wouldn't be helpful. Yeah he'd keep that to himself for now. "It sounded like a good idea," Roddy said quietly. He'd- thought Jonn had decent judgement. Roddy'd follow his lead. Come to think of it he was pretty used to following someone else's lead. "Guess I didn't think." Izzy: at 8:53 PM Progress. Thank Eldath. Hansel kind of wanted to say yeah, I could tell you didn't fuckin' think, but if he said something like that to Jonn they'd just yell at each other and then mutually stop caring -- if he said it to Roddy he worried the kid'd pull away. Possibly literally, into his shell, or something. And Hansel was a bit concerned that if the kid pulled away from him, he might go Jonn instead. So instead, he gently said, "Yeah, you gotta, y'know, think ahead. I mean ... how'd you think this was gonna work out? I'd just give up? C'mon. Nah. I'm spending time with this idiot for a reason." Hansel wanted to touch Goro's cheek, but didn't want to make him jerk away again -- and it seemed like that might just get Roddy riled up again, anyway, so it was probably better to not. Lina: at 10:03 PM Goro bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself to keep his mouth shut. Just what he fucking wanted, to listen to Hansel have to defend his decision to keep him around. Like Goro was some interloper Roddy hadn't vetted yet. Like he was no better that fucking Gwydion, whoever the hell that guy was. Like he didn't have as much of a right to go about his business in the castle as Roddy did. He shouldn't let it bother him. What was the worst Roddy could do? Keep glaring every time they saw each other? Oh, Goro could beat him at that game, easily. But fuck, it got old sometimes. Here he finally had a group he could be his honest self with, and it got him fucking rejected. Didn't it just figure. He ground his teeth together and stared at the table. Muse: at 10:10 PM That was a good point. It made him a little sulky to admit it, but Hansel had a good point. Yeah, Roddy really hadn't thought this through. "Still don't get it," he said. "Why you want to spend time with him, I mean." This time it was more a quick side-eye. Goro was just sitting there. Looked suspicious. But then he always looked suspicious. Izzy: at 10:16 PM "Yeah, well." It was an easy answer, but Hansel didn't know if it'd actually explain anything. "I love him." Lina: at 10:25 PM "Can I go now," Goro said through his teeth. "I have things to do." I love you too, I love you too, fuck, I love you too. Fucking Roddy. Izzy: at 10:26 PM "Depends. We all good here?" He looked between the two of them. Muse: at 10:30 PM Something about Goro's tone set Roddy to bristling again. Good? Yeah, nope. But he wasn't planning on shoving Goro into any more walls so maybe that counted. "I guess," he grumbled, crossing his arms and sinking down in the chair. Lina: at 10:34 PM "Yeah, we're good," Goro muttered, and he got up from the table and started to walk away. Then he whirled around and came right back. "Actually, no. I've got a question for you." He pointed at Roddy. "After we fought Ripley. Diva in Ripley's body, I mean. And one of the hosts held me down and shoved a larva in my mouth. You tried to fight it off for me. You tried to help. What the hell was that about, exactly? See, I'd assumed it meant you gave a shit, but I'm wondering if it was just you worried I'd be even harder to put up with when I was fucking hosted." Muse: at 10:41 PM Roddy was bristling, half-ready to tell Goro he could take his question and shove it. But then he asked about that, and took the wind right out of Roddy's sails. "That was-" what had that been. Roddy had to stop, and think. Confusion of scrambling for the warehouse, still shaking off the affects of that spell... "Instinct," he said finally. "We were fighting together. Same side. Keep each other alive." He drummed his fingers against the table. "Basically, I didn't think again." Lina: at 10:42 PM "Fuck off," Goro said, and stormed away toward the stairs. Izzy: at 10:58 PM Hansel's gut reaction was to follow Goro. Something was going on with him, and they needed to fucking talk about it. He was fucking alarmed by the way Goro was acting and he didn't know what he could do to help -- and watching him storm off, Hansel had to settle the constant running voice in his head that began to panic about what if he just fucking leaves, and you never see him again, and you didn't bother to go after him. But last time he'd left Roddy to his own devices, the kid had panicked, himself. Maybe Hansel hadn't been spending enough time with him -- and Jonn wasn't here to keep him company, so maybe Hansel needed to keep a closer eye on him. He was fucking torn, but he sat down heavily in the chair Goro had abandoned and sighed. After a beat, without looking at Roddy, he carefully asked, "Kid, you do know that -- trying to help Goro that day, that was the right fucking thing to do. It wasn't a mistake. I mean, you realize that, right?" Muse: at 11:16 PM ...Roddy wanted a hug. But at the same time asking for one right now- it made his throat feel tight. Instead he hugged himself, shooting glances at Hansel out of the corner of his eye. "I hadn't- thought about it," he admitted. "I don't- think about- right and wrong. Not like Ripley does." Or- Hansel even, it looked like. Ripley'd- poked at that. Roddy hadn't liked it. Hansel was- poking it too. Was different this time. Ripley had- asked. Tried to see what was wrong with it- with Roddy. Hansel... made Roddy wonder if it, whatever it was, was even there. "M'sorry." Izzy: at 11:28 PM Fuck. Fuck, okay. Okay. "All right," he said slowly, "well ... shit, Roddy, I can't tell you what's right and wrong, either. I mean, I'm a fuckin' pirate. Haven't got a moral high ground here. But -- Goro's our teammate. Looking out for people when they're your crew, or -- your family -- that's what you do. You help them. All right? That's -- that's all I can tell you." He reached across the gap between them to put a hand on Roddy's shoulder, looking at him again. "You don't have to apologize to me. It's okay." Fuck. "S'okay, kid. I love you." Muse: at 11:39 PM Roddy flinched a little, feeling the hand settle on his shoulder. It was- it was just Hansel. He liked it when Hansel hugged him, or clasped his shoulder. So why did he feel like pulling away? "Okay," he agreed, glancing up at Hansel for only a second before staring back down at the table. "Teammates, family. I can- I can do that." He'd- been doing that. It was- instinct. So maybe- maybe this was a good sign? "Teammates," he repeated, "that- that includes Goro." Who he was- still mad at. But helping was instinct. That'd- that'd work out okay, right? Izzy: at 11:43 PM Hansel nodded. He didn't know what else to say. Muse: at 11:55 PM Roddy finally looked up at Hansel. There were a lot of things he felt like he should say. Should say 'I love you' back. Should say 'I'll watch Goro's back'. Should- ask for a hug and just be glad Hansel still cared even though Roddy was- a lot of trouble. None of it wanted to come out. Roddy shifted a little, pulling away from the hand on his shoulder. "I'll try to do better," he said instead, looking off to the side. December 13, 2018 Izzy: at 12:03 AM Hansel let his hand drop away. He was quiet for a moment, then repeated, "It's okay, kid. I'm proud of you -- just, people make mistakes, that's all. It's all right." Fuck. He didn't think he could fucking deal with this right now, though. Needed to clear his head. He pushed himself back up. "I'm gonna get back to work on the field." As he passed by Roddy on his way to the door, he started to automatically pat the kid's shoulder, but stopped himself. Didn't feel like being shrugged off again. Lina: at 10:41 AM end Title: Confrontation. Summary: Roddy confronts Goro about his relationship with Hansel. There is shouting, manhandling, and eventually Hansel has to step in. Doesn't entirely fix it. Category:Text Roleplay